Cooling system for fluid-actuated turbines



'w. s. BOWEN 1,880,747

Filed oct. 2v, 1927 sheets-sheet 1- INVENTOR WILLIAM SPENCER BOWEN` ATTORNEY ocr. 4l 1932.Y

. COOLIKANG SYSTEM FOR FLUID ACIUATED TURBINES v w. s. BOWEN COOLING SYSTEM FOR- FLUID ACTUATED TURBINES mmm Spangen Bowen ATTORN EY oct; 4, 1932.

0&4, 1932. .WSBOWEN 1,880,747

'COOLING SYSTEM FOR FLUID ACTATED TURBINES Fi1ed oct'..27, 1927 3 sheets-sheet 3 Patented Oct. 4,` 1.932

"rEN'lfv OFFICE WILLIAM SPENCER. BOWEN,l or wEsrrrELn' NEW `JERSEY COOLING sYsrEia Eon.` FLUID-ACTUATED TUEBINES Application Bled. October 27, 1927. Serial No. 229,065.

The invention relates to a cooling system.

for the rotor members of gas-actuated turbines as well as to the novel arrangement of governing the turbine by the medium em# o ployed for said cooling operation. It has for its object a simple and ei'ective means for introducing, circulating and withdrawing a suitable cooling medium through the rotating members'of a gas-actuated turbine of the reaction type; also, to utilize the circulated cooling medium in the governing of the velocity of rotation of its rotor portion.

To this end, the invention comprises circuf lating means for a suitable cooling iluid and actuated, forexample, by the rotation of the turbine shaft which is provided with longitudinal ducts for conveyingthe fluid to and from the rotor portion of the turbine, saidv circulating means serving to seal the opposite ends of a casing surrounding the rotor portion and mounted about the turbine shaft. The circulating means, moreover, are in communication on the pressure side with ya novel pressure-actuatedgoverning 'devicel whereby the admission of an expansible gaseous medium for actuating the turbine is controlled.

'The nature of the invention, however, will best be understood when described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which:

Fig. 1 is a partv front elevation andfpart vertical section illustrating a reaction turbine equipped" with the novel cooling apparatus and governing device.

Fig. 2 is aA transverse vertical section thereof, taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1, and looking in thel direction ofy the arrows.- Fig. 3 is a. front elevation, Fig. 4 a frag- "m mentary vertical section, and Fig. 5 a developed section of one of the rotor elements employed in the turbine and showing, also, the passages for circulating the cooling medium therethrough.4 .l

5 Fig. 6 is a vertical section, and Fig.`7 an elevation, of the novel governing device adapted to be actuated b the coolingmedium circulated through t e rotor portion of the turbine.

5 Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a suitable frame or bed plate for rotatably supporting a shaft 11 on which are mounted rotor elements constituting a turbine of the reaction type,'for example, embodying the two rotatable elements 12. 'These rotorele' 55 ments are substantially of the nature set forth in my copeuding application Serial No.v 217,146, filed September 21, 1927, which matured into United States Letters Patent No. 1,681,607, and comprise suitable disk mem-` 6o bers having on one face arcuate passageways or channels 13 and on the other face radially disposed passageways orIk ports 14:- for conducting the expansible fluid, such as gases of combustion, from a central distributing space 15 to. substantially the circumference of the disk. From this point the fluid supplied on one face is dischargedv through suitable ex- Y panding nozzles 16 to the opposite face and into the channels 13'thereof which are of di- 7,0 minishing cross-sectional area, all of which is more fully set forth in my said copending application. l L r In accordance with the present invention, provision is made for circulating about 'the 175 radially disposed passageways 14 and the nozzles 16 at the outer ends thereof a suitable cooling medium, such asoil, the latter being l supplied through a longitudinal duct 20 of 4 the shaft 11 and port 21 therein. The vcoact- B0 ing surface of ythe surrounding rotor disk mounted on the shaft is provided also with a circularA chamber 22 to receive the cooling liquid; a-ndfrom the same a'suitable pair of ducts 23, located upon one side of a disk, extend radially outwardly to a corresponding `nozzle portion, conveying the cooling liquid about said nozzle and returning through a further pair of ducts 24 located upon the opposite side of said disk. The latter pair of ducts communicates tthrough a circular receiving chamber 25". about shaft 11 and a port 26 therein with a further longitudinal y.duct`27 of the shaft, and through a further port 28 of said shaft with the intakecham- 95 ber 29 of centrifugal pumps serving to'draw and deliver the cooling liquid, which is supplied to the duct 2O through a pipe 30, to an outlet pipe 31. This -pipe communicates with a cooling device-32 ofany suitable na- 100 abstracted from the rotor members of the turbine is removed from said `liquid so that as the same is again returned through pipe and to the interior of shaft 2O it is at a sufficiently reduced temperature to effect the desired cooling of the rotor elements of the` turbine.

The turbine is surrounded by a suitable inclosing casing mounted about the shaft 11; and the fluid medium for actuating the same is introduced to the rotor elements of said turbine through a passageway 36 disposed between the same and formed by the stator portions 37 of the turbine, while the exhaust from said rotor elements which is discharged into the surrounding chamber is removed throughthe exhaust pipe 38 in communication therewith. It will be observed, also, that the ends of the casing ,35 are sealed by the provision of the pressure, or rather vacuum, producing means constituted partly by a portion of said casing at each end thereof.

In order to control the admission of the actuating fiuid medium to the said turbine, a suitable pressure-actuated governing mechanism may be provided; and in the present instance the same is indicated as mounted on the top of the casing 35, thevactuating fluid medium controlled thereby being supplied by inlet pipe 39. The pressure for actuating said governor is obtained through a pipe 39 connected thereto and in direct communication with the supply pipe 30, the existing pressure of the fluid therein being ldetermined by the velocity of rotation of the centrifugal pump members which, in turn, is a function of the rota-tional velocity of the shaft 11 of the turbine.

A convenient governor mechanism for this.

purpose is indicated in Figs. 6 and and comprises a cylindrical member 40 having a hollow lower portion 41 in which slidesa sleeve valve 42 provided with circularly dis- Dosed ports 43.v The latter are adapted to register with inletports 44, similarly disposed circularly about the upper portion of,

said valve in the wall of cylinder 40 and in communication with a fluid supply chamber 45. By this arrangement, the supply chamber 45 will be placed in communication with the interior of the valve 42 when the latter is sufficiently elevated to cause ports 43 and `to a stem 49 projecting through the top of cylinder 40 and connected with the arms 50 f a toggle device. Provision is also made through the inlet pipe 39 for subjecting the -spring 5l secured between the lower movable nortion of the toggle mechanism and the top of a superstructure or framing 52 therefor. This spring normally tends to draw the stem 49 upwardly and with it the piston 48 and at the same time spread the toggle arms 50. l/Vhen the pressure in pipe 39', and thus exerted upon the piston 48, becomes sufliciently great to extend the said spring 51 the necessary extent to bring the oppositev and pivoted arm portions of the pairs of toggle elements into a common plane, the valve 42 will entirely cut oii` the supply of gaseous medium and this position will be maintained due to the locking position of the toggle arms when thus lying in the same plane. Springs 53, of

combined lesser strength than the spring 51y and normally tending to bring theV said arms together, will further insure this locked position.4 The turbine is thereby positively shut down as a result, for example, of an excessive started by releasing the toggle mechanism of the governor.

I claim:

l. The combination with a gaseous reaction turbine including a rotor element and rotatable shaft on which the same is mounted, and a casing surrounding and sealing the rotor element; of means forproviding a cooling fluid, said means comprising a portion of the casing through which the shaft passes and adapted to seal said casing thereat vand also mechanism cooperating with the easing portion for produclng pressure on the cooling fluid and driven by said shaft; and

connections between the rotor and the means for providing a. cooling iuid adapted to circulate said Huid through the said rotor under the pressure developed by the said fluid-providing means.

2. The combination with a -gaseous reac-n.

tion turbine including a rotor element provided with supply and return ducts for a cooling Huid, a rotatable shaft on which the rotor is mounted, said shaft having a pair of longitudinal ducts communicating with the supply and return ducts of the rotor member, and a sealed easing surrounding the rotor element and through which the shaft passes; of means for providing a cooling fluid and embodying a portion of the casing through which the shaft passes to seal the same thereat and also an element cooperating with the said casing portion and driven bythe rotor shaft for circulating the cooling fluid through speed condition, and must be manually re-` 9 5 i @zuid shaft' ducts oud the eupply und return ducts of the rotor element. l v

3. The comhnation with a' gaseous reaction turbine including a. rotor element provided with supply and return ducts for a. cooling Huid, a. rotatable shaft on which the rotor lsmounted, said shaft having a pair of longitudinal ducts;k communicating with the supply and return ducts of the rotor lo member, and a sealed casing. surrounding therotor element and through which the shaft passes; of centrifugal pumping means driven by the shaft and embodying a, portion of the. casing through which the shaft passes to seal the same thereat and adapted to circulate a. cooling Huid through the shaft ducts and the supply and return ducts of the rotor' element.

ln testimony whereof l ax m signature. WILLIAM SPENCER WEN. 

